Tehama County Supervisors expressed concern Tuesday that a proposal to increase federally protected habitat for the Northern Spotted Owl could cost the county jobs as well as funds for roads and schools.

Following a presentation by former County Superintendent of Schools Bob Douglas, the board approved a $1,250 contribution to support an economic impact analysis.

Douglas, executive director of the National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition (NFCSC), told the board the process of expanding the habitat was moving too quickly for a decision of its scope.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing expanding the critical habitat designation designed to protect the Northern Spotted Owl from 5.9 to 13.5 million acres across California, Oregon and Washington.

More than 120,000 acres in the western half of Tehama County would be affected.

Most of the land is operated by the National Forest Service.

The NFCSC is hoping to raise 100,000 from its member counties and school districts to pay for a study of the cumulative impacts since the 1995 critical habitat designation This comes at a time when rural counties, including Tehama, are waiting to see whether the federal government will extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.

The act provides federal dollars to rural counties affected by lost timber revenue.

Douglas wrote in a letter to County Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin the restricted land category would exclude any future active management options, including thinning or logging.

The NFCSC and a group of U.S. Representatives from Oregon are working on getting an additional 60 days added on to the Wildlife Service”s public review period.

Goodwin and Supervisor Dennis Garton said they attended one of the public hearings in Redding Monday.

They both categorized it as an attempt to hold a public hearing in an effort just to say a public hearing was held.

Garton said he was disappointed by the lack of information available and perceived a number of communication issues between the Forest and Wildlife Services.

The battle over the conservation of the Northern Spotted Owl has raged for decades. In 1990 it was listed as a threatened species.

——— Connect with Daily News reporter Rich Greene at facebook.com/richgreennews. He can also be reached at 527-2151, ext. 109.